Edinboro Fighting Scots (2-4, 1-1 PSAC West) at Clarion Golden Eagles (2-4, 0-2 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 19 // 12 p.m.
Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium

Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagles return to action after a week off, hosting Edinboro at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 19. Kickoff is set for noon.
• This will be the 94th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Vulcans, making it the most-played series in the history of Golden Eagles football. Edinboro holds a 50-41-3 edge in the rivalry.
• Clarion won last year's meeting with Edinboro on the road, but has not beaten the Fighting Scots at home since the 2000 season. 
• In their last action before the open week, the Golden Eagles lost 31-27 to California (PA) at home on Oct. 5. The Clarion ground game controlled the tempo for most of the contest but two late, quick scores by the Vulcans sealed the Golden Eagles' fate.
• Quarterback Anthony Guercio leads the PSAC in total touchdowns (7) and ranks fourth in total offense (265.7) through six games this year.
• Wide receiver Trevon Tate leads the PSAC in receiving yards per game average (101.2) and is third in receptions (6.0).
• The Golden Eagles rank third in the PSAC in opponent third-down conversion, limiting opponents to just a 34.5 conversion rate on the pivotal down. 
• In addition, Clarion has forced opposing offenses into third down 87 times, the third-highest total in the league and the best in the West division.
• Defensive end Jake Tarburton leads with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss through six games, with his sacks total already a career-high.
• As a team, the Golden Eagles lead the PSAC with 16 total sacks, and they have also recorded 33.0 tackles for loss through six games. 
• Punter Hunter Robertson leads the PSAC in punts over 50 yards (12) and is tied for second in punts landed inside the 20-yard line (12). He also boasts the third-longest punt in the PSAC so far this season, and is one of three PSAC punters to boot a ball longer than 70 yards in 2024.
• Starting this week, Clarion will play four of their final five games at home, including three straight to close the season.

Series History

• This will be the 94th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Fighting Scots, making it the most-played rivalry in the history of Clarion football. The series dates all the way back to the 1926 season. Edinboro leads the all-time series with Clarion 50-41-2, with the Fighting Scots having won 11 of the last 13 contests.
• Clarion led the rivalry for many years, going 18-14-1 against the Fighting Scots from 1926-1958. Since then, Edinboro has led the all-time series 36-23-1.
• The Golden Eagles won last year's meeting, defeating the Fighting Scots 34-20 at Sox Harrison Stadium for their first win in the series since 2015. Clarion rushed for 280 yards, and quarterback Anthony Guercio threw three touchdown passes and rushed for 155 yards and a score en route to earning PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week honors.
• Clarion has not won a home game against Edinboro since Oct. 14, 2000, when the Golden Eagles shut out the Fighting Scots for a 7-0 win. They held Edinboro to just 152 yards of total offense and forced two lost fumbles, with both coming on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. Tab Musser scored the only points of the game, rushing into the end zone from two yards out early in the second quarter.

Scouting the Fighting Scots

• Edinboro was predicted to finish sixth in the PSAC West division in 2024, one year after going 3-8 overall and 1-6 in the West.
• The Fighting Scots enter this weekend's game with a 2-4 record overall and a 1-1 mark in the PSAC West. They are coming off a 27-23 home win against 21st-ranked IUP on Saturday.
• In that win over the Crimson Hawks, Isaac Bernard hit Evan Low in the back of the end zone with just eight seconds remaining on the clock, giving the Fighting Scots the Homecoming win.
• The Fighting Scots returned a pair of all-conference defenders in C.J. Waldier and Toby Cline, but so far Wilfredo Diaz has been the largest presence on the defensive side of the ball. He averages 14.0 tackles per game and also has 4.0 TFL, an interception and a blocked kick.
• Jake Nulph is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Fighting Scots. Earlier this year he defeated his alma mater in one of the most impressive results from a PSAC school this season, when Edinboro beat Robert Morris 23-21 in Moon Township.

Last Time Out (Full Recap)

Despite a dominant running game and a huge edge in time of possession, the Golden Eagles football team was not able to contain the high-flying California (PA) offense in the second half as the Vulcans came back for a 31-27 decision at Memorial Stadium. Clarion led by margins of 14-0 and 27-17 but the Vulcans scored touchdowns on their final two real drives, including the go-ahead score with less than a minute to go.

For long stretches of the game, the Golden Eagle ground game bullied the Vulcans on offense. Clarion toted the ball 49 times for 207 yards and a 4.2 yards per carry average, ripping off a number of explosive runs and ultimately scoring three touchdowns. The load was distributed across a bevy of rushers, with Khalon Simmons leading the way with 84 yards and a score on 13 carries. Anthony Guercio and A'mere Hibbler also added rushing touchdowns.

The Clarion offense also enjoyed some big plays in the passing game. Trevon Tate went over 100 yards receiving for the fourth time in the first six games of the year, catching five passes for 127 yards including a long of 52 yards that set up a Clarion touchdown in the first quarter. Ray Jackson caught just two passes but one of those was a 46-yard reception as well.

However, the Vulcans offense – a unit that led the PSAC in scoring entering that week's games – showed off their ability score quickly, posting 28 points in the second half despite the fact the Golden Eagles held a major edge in time of possession. In the fourth quarter alone Clarion held a possession advantage of 10:17 to 4:43, but the Vulcans scored two touchdowns in the span of 3:11 to clinch the win.

Disruptive Force

Defensive end Jake Tarburton has built off his all-conference season in 2023 to start quickly in 2024, ranking among the conference's most disruptive defensive linemen:

• Tarburton is tied for first in the PSAC with 5.5 sacks this season, as well as a 0.92 sacks per game average;
• He ranks second in the PSAC in tackles for loss with 9.5 in six games, an average of 1.58 TFL per game;
• With one more half TFL, Tarburton will become the first Golden Eagle to break double-digits in tackles for loss in consecutive seasons since Julian Howsare did it three straight times from 2012-14.

Solid Start to Season for Golden Eagles Defense

• After allowing seven points to Millersville on Aug. 29 and nine points to Lincoln on Sept. 5, Clarion limited opponents to single-digits in scoring in back-to-back games for the first time since 2018, when the Golden Eagles beat Lincoln 44-7 and Gannon 14-9 in consecutive games;
• The Golden Eagles are tied for first in the PSAC with 16 sacks through six games this year, and are on in sole possession of the lead in that category in the PSAC West.
• The Golden Eagles defense has forced opponents into more third downs than any other team in the league (87), and opponent third down conversion rate is 34.5 percent, the third-lowest mark in the conference.
• In the event opponents reach the red zone, Clarion has been effective in keeping them short of the goal line. The Golden Eagles are fifth in the PSAC in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns on just 52.6 percent of attempts.

Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot

Clarion ranks third in the PSAC and first in the West in terms of lowest penalty yards per game, at 45.2 yards per contest. The Golden Eagles have also committed just 34 penalties on the year, the fifth-lowest total in the PSAC and second in the PSAC West behind this week's opponent Edinboro.

Kick It Long

So far this year it's been fair to say that punter Hunter Robertson has been a weapon on special teams, ranking among the conference's best punters and in terms of booming the ball deep and keeping it out of the end zone. The sophomore punter leads the conference in punts longer than 50 yards (12) and is tied for second in punts downed inside the 20-yard line (12). With a 44.4 yards per kick average so far this year, he is on pace to produce the best season average since Jim Levey averaged 46.6 yards per kick in 1965, just ahead of Phil Bujakowski's 42.6 yards per punt average in 1985.

• Clarion punters currently rank second in the conference in net punt average, at 39.9 yards per kick.

A Familiar Face That Looks Better in Blue

One of the key transfers coming to the Clarion offense is wide receiver Trevon Tate, a senior that played the previous three seasons at Mercyhurst. Tate was a veteran of 25 games in the Green and White, totaling 55 catches for  648 yards and five touchdowns as a Laker.

• Tate recorded eight catches for 143 yards against Shippensburg on Sept. 14, making him the first Golden Eagles receiver to record three straight games with 100 or more receiving yards. The last to do it was Kevin Genevro in 2016, when he finished the season in triple-digits against Slippery Rock, Gannon and West Chester at home.
• In a records search back through the 1999 season, no other Golden Eagle player has started a season with three consecutive 100-yard receiving games;
• Tate leads in the PSAC in receiving yards per game (101.2) and is tied for third in receptions (6.0). 

The Big Picture for Trevon Tate

• Trevon Tate has four 100-yard receiving games thus far in 2024. That is the most for a Golden Eagle since Kevin Genevro broke the century mark five times during the 2016 season. Genevro's teammate Matt Lehman broke the century mark five times the season before, in 2015.
• Tate is also on pace to become the first Golden Eagle receiver to top 1,000 yards in a season since Genevro did it that same year. The latter finished with 1,096 yards.
• Only three players in program history have gone over 1,000 yards receiving in a season - Genevro (2016), Alvin Slaughter (1,369 - 1998) and Bob Green (1,018 - 1984).

Next Week

Clarion makes their final road trip of the season when they face off against Seton Hill in Greensburg. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Offutt Field.